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NSW farms 'already protected from CSG'

Tara Ravens

The NSW government says steps have already been taken to protect farms from coal seam gas mining after a poll revealed voters want exploration on agricultural land banned.

Energy Minister Chris Hartcher said the state had the toughest CSG controls in Australia because the government had responded to community concerns.

It announced in February 2km exclusion zones for residential areas and bans on CSG activity within the Hunter Valley's wine and horse industries.

"The steps we've taken make it clear to industry that they will be subject to stringent requirements which were never in place under the previous Labor government," Mr Hartcher said.

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But three quarters of voters want the government to go further still, according to a Nielson poll published by Fairfax.

Seventy-five per cent of coalition voters and 73 per cent of Labor voters oppose CSG exploration on agricultural land.

The results show it's time for the state government to impose a moratorium on CSG development and rule out CSG in drinking water catchments, said Nature Conservation Council of NSW campaigns director Kate Smolski.

"If the government is serious about local democracy it should listen to the dozens of councils and local communities that have voted overwhelmingly to be CSG free," she said in a statement.

NSW Opposition Leader John Robertson called for an immediate halt on all CSG operations, saying water catchments, high-value agricultural land and conservation land weren't currently protected.

"Barry O'Farrell's lack of action has put some of our state's most precious land and resources at risk from CSG mining," he said.

Mr Hartcher accused Mr Robertson of "breathtaking hypocrisy".

"He and his Labor mates showed no concern for the community or environment when they were granting CSG exploration licences across much of NSW without consultation and with no regulations in place ...

"We have put in place the toughest coal seam gas regulations in the country - these were further strengthened in February in response to community concerns.

"The policies we've put in place protect prime agricultural land, protect our water catchments and protect the environment."

Earlier this week, the NSW government was criticised for failing to sign a protocol to refer coal seam gas projects to a national expert panel for advice on their environmental impact.

A report by the Council of Australian Governments Reform Council, released on Tuesday, said NSW was the only participating state not to reach agreement with the commonwealth on how to decide where projects were referred for advice.

Mining company Dart Energy also announced on Tuesday it would slash 70 per cent of its workforce as it reins in costs in response to tighter government restrictions on coal seam gas projects.

Dart will suspend its field operations in NSW and instead focus on its overseas CSG projects, including those in Britain and China.